Festa della Polenta celebrates the comfort dish that originated in northern Italy
Di Beppe caps off the fest with the signature “polenta pour”
Di Beppe.
IF YOU’VE EVER wondered about the significance of polenta in its birthplace of Italy, consider this well known saying: “La polenta è utile per quattro cose: serve da minestra, serve da pane, sazia, e scalda le mani,” which translates as: “Polenta is good for four things: to make soup, to make bread, to fill you up, and to warm your hands.”
Comfort food at its best, polenta—a dish of coarsely ground cornmeal that originated among farmers in Northern Italy—is traditionally prepared in a paiolo, a tapered copper pan; stirred with a long wooden paddle called a tarai; and often poured onto a large platter or wooden board for guests to serve themselves at the table and spoon various sweet or savoury sauces or stews over top.
It’s so cherished in Italy that polenta festivals take place everywhere from Avigliana to Tossignano. In San Quirico a Vernio, which is known for its chestnut flour-based polenta, the Festa della Polenta dates back more than 400 years.
Vancouver’s Di Beppe has been holding its Festa della Polenta for the last four years. The Italian café-restaurant in Gastown (8 West Cordova Street) is running a special menu until April 30 and will cap off the fest with an interactive multi-course dinner on May 1.
Di Beppe’s polenta menu features polenta croccante with chicken-liver pate and house-pickled vegetables; a rich wild-boar ragù on creamy polenta; and polenta cake with candied orange, walnut, and vanilla zabaglione. (It comes as a three-course prix-fixe meal for $52 per person with optional wine pairings for $28, or items can be ordered à la carte.)
The May 1 feast features the signature “polenta pour” as the evening’s main event. With two seatings at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., the meal includes “spuntino” (snacks to start), antipasti, various hearty toppings for the star ingredient, and dolci: torta di polenta with candied orange and crema di ricotta. Tickets are for $85 per person or $129 with drink pairings.
Di Beppe.
More information is at dibeppe.com.
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